Bret Hart

Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of theScore Television Network and The Baltimore Sun spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart (@BretHart) for a video Q&A. Topics discussed include Hart's relationship with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Punk as the Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels of this generation, and much more.

I had the chance to catch up with WWE Hall of Famer Bret "Hitman" Hart. In the video interview, the Excellence of Execution talks about traveling through treacherous weather conditions while driving a van full of wrestlers for his father, Stu Hart, during his Stampede Wrestling days in Western Canada. He also talks about the discomfort of wrestling outdoors in extreme heat, especially India, where a match with Yokozuna results in one of the grossest things he'd ever seen in a ring during one of his matches.

I had the chance to catch up with WWE Hall of Famer Bret "Hitman" Hart. In the video interview, the Excellence of Execution talks about traveling through treacherous weather conditions while driving a van full of wrestlers for his father, Stu Hart, during his Stampede Wrestling days in Western Canada. He also talks about the discomfort of wrestling outdoors in extreme heat, especially India, where a match with Yokozuna results in one of the grossest things he'd ever seen in a ring during one of his matches.

WWE often boasts that there is nothing like attending a WWE live event. There is truth to this statement -- particularly, what happens after the cameras stop rolling at a televised event or Pay Per View. Sometimes, it's just the top name of the company (more often than not these days John Cena or CM Punk) smiling and waving, slapping hands before they make their way backstage to close the show. Sometimes, you get interesting moments that only the superstars, the crowd in attendance, and (in segmented parts)

I had intended to take a little break from writing about Chris Benoit, but after watching some cable "news" shows on television, I had to get this off my chest. I'm not going to say that WWE always handles every situation the way I think it should, but I couldn't agree more with the company when it issued a statement saying it was "concerned with the sensationalistic reporting and speculation being undertaken by some members of the media." I think the key phrase in that statement is "some members of the media."

In Your House was a two-hour show that premiered in May 1995 that was designed to give WWE a monthly pay-per-view event. With it being shorter than the traditional three-hour offerings, as well as every IYH event having the same look and feel (at least in the beginning, anyway), you would think that they would be treated as, and perceived to be, second-rate WWE pay-pew-view events. But there were many diamonds in the rough at these events. Shawn Michaels, for example, had many memorable and career-defining matches at In Your House.

After 15 years, it appears the infamous Montreal Screwjob may finally be put to rest. The events of that fateful November night will certainly live on in the minds of wrestling fans, who continue to debate and scrutinize just how much of what transpired had been planned in advance. But now, two months shy of the 15th anniversary, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have publicly buried the hatchet with a hug in the ring (which went better than last week's between Kane and Daniel Bryan)

One of the most debated topics throughout the WWE Universe is John Cena's character and the notion that many want him to turn heel. I think the term “heel” -- when talking about change that many want from John Cena -- is misleading. Before we explore the idea, let's first clearly define the term "heel. " At the very core, as many of you surely already know, a “heel” is someone the fans hate, a "bad guy. " JJ Dillon once told me in an interview a definition that I like to use -- someone that is not as good and/or talented as the “babyface” in the ring, so he needs to cheat to get the upper hand in a match.

WWE often boasts that there is nothing like attending a WWE live event. There is truth to this statement -- particularly, what happens after the cameras stop rolling at a televised event or Pay Per View. Sometimes, it's just the top name of the company (more often than not these days John Cena or CM Punk) smiling and waving, slapping hands before they make their way backstage to close the show. Sometimes, you get interesting moments that only the superstars, the crowd in attendance, and (in segmented parts)

In Your House was a two-hour show that premiered in May 1995 that was designed to give WWE a monthly pay-per-view event. With it being shorter than the traditional three-hour offerings, as well as every IYH event having the same look and feel (at least in the beginning, anyway), you would think that they would be treated as, and perceived to be, second-rate WWE pay-pew-view events. But there were many diamonds in the rough at these events. Shawn Michaels, for example, had many memorable and career-defining matches at In Your House.

After 15 years, it appears the infamous Montreal Screwjob may finally be put to rest. The events of that fateful November night will certainly live on in the minds of wrestling fans, who continue to debate and scrutinize just how much of what transpired had been planned in advance. But now, two months shy of the 15th anniversary, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have publicly buried the hatchet with a hug in the ring (which went better than last week's between Kane and Daniel Bryan)

Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of theScore Television Network and The Baltimore Sun spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart (@BretHart) for a video Q&A. Topics discussed include Hart's relationship with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Punk as the Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels of this generation, and much more.

One of the most debated topics throughout the WWE Universe is John Cena's character and the notion that many want him to turn heel. I think the term “heel” -- when talking about change that many want from John Cena -- is misleading. Before we explore the idea, let's first clearly define the term "heel. " At the very core, as many of you surely already know, a “heel” is someone the fans hate, a "bad guy. " JJ Dillon once told me in an interview a definition that I like to use -- someone that is not as good and/or talented as the “babyface” in the ring, so he needs to cheat to get the upper hand in a match.

I had intended to take a little break from writing about Chris Benoit, but after watching some cable "news" shows on television, I had to get this off my chest. I'm not going to say that WWE always handles every situation the way I think it should, but I couldn't agree more with the company when it issued a statement saying it was "concerned with the sensationalistic reporting and speculation being undertaken by some members of the media." I think the key phrase in that statement is "some members of the media."

Last night I was at the Bell Centre in Montreal when Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack. It was both uncomfortable and concerning. After Lawler had already competed in a tag-team contest on Raw, he was performing his usual commentary duties with Michael Cole. During a tag-team match between the Prime Time Players and Daniel Bryan/Kane, I looked over to the broadcast table and saw Jerry Lawler hunched over, beginning to shake. It looked like he was choking. Then, suddenly, he collapsed from his chair.

The elements didn't work in WWE's favor Saturday. In a rare weather twist, Phoenix saw rain. Enough rain to need to move the Fan Axxess festivities indoors. This caused come confusion and delay, as was to be expected. After all, you had to not only move the ring inside, but logistically figure out how the entire event would be run with less space. The U.S. Airways Center and WWE did a good job of moving everything along as quickly as they could. Once fans were allowed inside, they were greeted with free bowls of Fruity Pebbles (no kidding)